"Jesus Christ Superstar"

Greasepaint Productions.

Loughborough Town Hall.

I am in no way biased, but this is one of my favourite musicals of all time. As a child I remember buying a Music For Pleasure LP of "Highlights From Jesus Christ Superstar" and from then on I was hooked, so this show has a special meaning for me as it must have actually influenced my love for musical theatre. I love every song and practically know the songs back to front.

I can sum my review up with just one sentence. One of the best non professional production I've seen. I've seen many different versions of this musical, and just when you think that you've seen them all, here's another one that has a has a different vision of the story.

You know it's the story of the last seven days of Jesus's life but the musical is more about Judas than it is about Jesus, while still playing second fiddle to the Messiah. Portrayed, not as a God, but as a human being with all the pressures and troubles that any human being could be heaped with when stuck on a pedestal, as Jesus Christ was when Rice and Lloyd-Webber penned this iconic musical. Almost as if Jesus is the ultimate "X Factor" winner, he is adored and revered by almost everyone. I say almost because any hero worship is going to have their nay sayers.

Jesus may have been nailed to the cross but that wasn't the only thing that was nailed. The singing, choreography, acting, the passion, timing, basically everything was nailed by everyone.

Jesus is played by Dan Robinson. All musical theatre lovers were waiting for Act 2 for "Gethsemane", the song that Jesus sings seconds before his betrayal, by Judas, in the Garden Of Gethsemane. It holds such power and emotion when sung correctly and Dan did the song proud, and that falsetto is off the scale.  It's not an easy song to sing, but Dan delivered it with real passion, as was the final scene of Jesus on the cross. This scene particularly brings a lump to the throat and raises the hairs on your arms and neck as he asks for his mother and a drink of water, as would a child after a nightmare and looking for comfort from the one he feels safe with. I must also mention the scene where he has received the 40 lashes, the SFX make up for that came as a bit of a shock because the wounds were so realistic, I found myself wincing.

Judas is played by Andy Longley-Brown and another incredibly good vocal performance; in fact there are no weak links from anyone in this show. Passion and power combines in Andy's vocals to create a really raw rock vocal. The opening number has a different arrangement, delivered by Andy. I would have liked to have heard Andy's mic turned up a notch, and this is only my preference. Even with the power in his voice, I thought it would sound even better if the vocals were more dominant in the sound mix. 

Mary Magdalene is played by Nelly Collins. Her versions of "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and the duet with Peter, "Can We Start Again, Please", are simply sublime and full of tenderness and passion.

Pilate is played by Beth Cluer. I am always a little nervous when male characters are played by female actors, but this was definitely and inspired option. "Pilate's Dream" was stripped back and you heard every wonderful note and intonation of the lyrics, and sung with a voice that dripped with purity.

Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel who sees Jesus as a threat to the nation, is played by Richard Coles. Here's another change to what I've normally been used to seeing and hearing as Caiaphas in previous productions, and the original film has a really deep voice, Richard didn't try to get that low, but that doesn't matter that much because his voice did all the work to show his emotions about the King Of The Jews. A very modern look as well for the character.

Keith Reynolds is Annas, Caiphas' right hand man. As with the above comments, it's always a nice surprise to hear a role being performed not in the way that you had expected, and like Caiaphas, a very modern look.

Judith Coles is Zadok. Another visionary change to the normal casting, Zadok is usually played by a man, but Judith's vocals make a real difference to the Council's quartet sound.

David Clifford is Matthais, the fourth corner of the Council.

Jodie Pearman plays Herod. I have seen several different incarnations of Herod, but never a woman Herod.  It's like a character that you never knew that you needed in a musical because Jodie as Herod works so wonderfully well. Along with her chorus line of ladies, this is unexpected but so welcomed as it turns the character you're expecting to be turned completely on its' head; almost like a biblical dominatrix with the power this character, as a female has. Plus I also love the slight change in the arrangement of "Herod's Song".

Simon Zealots is played by Chris Warmington, who I have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing in shows before, and hearing him sing Simon's piece with Dan, and the Ensemble, highlights that rich set of vocals that Chris has.

Adam Pearman is Peter, the follower who denies knowing Jesus after Jesus' arrest. The duet with Mary, "Could We Start Again, Please", really shows what a really lovely voice this young man has, and how well his voice blends with Nelly's.

This show is, and always has been, a "rock opera" and these actors have the power and passion of a rock singer as well as the control of an opera singer.

There's a massive ensemble who flood the stage with exuberance and talent, and it's with this ensemble that another part of the story is told. The growth of Jesus' followers as we see maybe one or two start in contemporary dance style, and then others join in until you have a throng of followers, as if they have heard the news of Jesus and want to be a part of the following. They also depict the other side of the coin with the masses who implore Pilate to crucify this King Of The Jews. It's their voices and urgency that turn these scenes very dark, putting Pilate on the back foot, surprised that they have turned so quickly on Jesus.

The Ensemble consist of Taylor Bennett, Nikki Coles, Charlotte Coles, Abi Crossley, Rowan Dixon, Paul Hopkin, Gemma Landers, Jenny Norvill, Josh O'Reilly, Jeanette Patrick-Cooper, Heather Ramone, Nicole Ray, Mel Sharp and Rory Stanton.

Directed by Liam Patrick. I love the way that this musical has evolved over the years and feels every much as fresh and exciting as it was when I first saw it, many moons ago. It's not easy to keep a musical, that has been going for over fifty years, as exciting as this production is, but Liam's vision of this show is exciting and fresh. Set in a setting that is akin to a nightclub, which in itself creates an exciting, visual treat. The option to gender swap a few of the characters was also a brave choice, but also a refreshing one, keeping audience members like myself on our toes, giving us something fresh to get our teeth into. Brilliantly inventive in the vision that Liam presents, because he could have just done a carbon copy of the show, but Liam has never been that kind of Director to rest on his Directorial laurels, opting to push boundaries. Loved the opening countdown section which also included the "Overture" with that soaring rock guitar opening.

Set design is by Dave Wright. The stripped back set design is a brilliant idea, and when combined with the lighting design creates a very different feel to the stage and the production.

Musical Director is James Stevens. Every single song delivered impeccably with the power and passion and performance required for that particular piece, by both the band and the performers. The soundtrack contains so many well known songs, "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Superstar", "Gethsemane", "What's The Buzz", "Everything's Alright", "Heaven On Your Mind" and of course "Herod's Song". Love the new arrangements of some of these iconic songs, especially the opening number "Heaven On Their Minds".

Choreographed by Kate Willey. This show has always had some wonderful choreography, especially with the big ensemble numbers. There's one scene in particular where Jesus is caged in with two large metal fences, moved by the cast, showing how Jesus was almost bear baited by the crowds, as well as those earlier numbers like "What's The Buzz" and "Heaven On Their Minds", highlighting a wonderful co-ordination of a massed group.

Costumes are courtesy of Gillian Leeson, Rachael Gunn with additional costumes provided by the cast. It's a very modern look, and even Jesus's costume had a modern look and feel about it. Suits for the hierarchy members showed the power they have with the followers also having a modern feel, bringing the story into a more modern time.

The wigs, which are brilliant, are thanks to Leedham Wigs.

Stage management is by Lynsey Bloomfield. With the wings being open to view to the audience, you're able to see all that happens off stage, so the management of the stage, props etc was all done almost invisibly. That is another joy of having a sparse set though.

The SFX Make Up is by Nikki Coles and looked amazing, as well as extremely painful. That first image of Jesus's back really was enough to make anyone recoil. It looked like a scene from "24 Hours in A&E".

Sound is by Ryan Heath. There were a few crackles from mic pacs, but that is something that can't be brought to the door of the sound people; these things happen. As I said earlier, I would have preferred a slight increase in volume on Judas's mic, but the whole sound for this production was great, bringing that rock opera sung through feel alive.

Lighting is by James Cladingboel. This is a really colourful lighting design which ideally shows that "nightclub" style set design, crossed with that rock concert feel, providing another layer of energy via light. The scene where Jesus is being tormented by lepers is depicted by spotlights fading and out is particularly powerful, visually as well and with intent and meaning.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is a true heavenly delight and is Lording it over any other musical this week. I for one will religiously revisit this show time and time again, and when it's as good as this performance, why would you not?

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is at Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 24 October.

Photography by Mark Chinnery and Mark Corns.